IG-88 (Bounty Hunter) - TSC - Vintage

Celebrate the legendary Star Wars films that changed the universe forever, with The Saga Collection. This collection brings to life the incredible story of good versus evil that captured our imagination and took us to a galaxy far, far away. The finest re-creations of the iconic Star Wars heroes and villains are back with incredible detail and premium features to commemorate each epic tale in the Star Wars saga. And, as a tribute to the dedication of Star Wars fans everywhere, we are re-releasing elements of the original packaging that harken back to the creation of Star Wars action figures, which began over 25 years ago with the Original Trilogy. May the Force be with you!

Probably
the best version of IG-88 we will ever receive
was released in The
Saga Collection’s vintage
sub-line. This droid didn’t get the respect
it deserved since the reintroduction to the
modern basic figure line that began long ago
in 1995 and Hasbro seemed to make up for lost
time by creating the end-all version of IG-88
(Bounty Hunter). Spectacularly crafted, painted,
accessorized and having the ability to be posed
in ways that were never attainable until now,
IG-88 (Bounty Hunter) should make the even
the most difficult to please shed tears of
joy. The vintage line rarely disappointed collectors,
but Hasbro essentially knocked us all off our
feet with this second wave of figures (which
were released as the 30
(77-07) line got into full swing).
IG-88 and Bossk are definitely the two standout
figures in the lot and this isn’t simply
because they are cool bounty hunters, but because
they have been crafted with expertise and art
that very few action figures receive. IG-88
(Bounty Hunter) will never need to be revisited
again and this is saying a lot for a line of
figures that gets updates periodically even
when they don’t necessarily need it.
The probability is likely to be high that we
will indeed see IG-88 tweaked in the future,
but it will totally be for unfounded reasons.
The figure is essentially perfect as is. But
hey, that is our strong opinion and we are
sure there are some that will disagree. But
if you disagree, you would be wrong.

IG-88
has a stunning 17 points of articulation and
if you count the swiveling armor on his thighs,
you can add to more points. This is unprecedented
for a “humanoid-ish” Star Wars
character. (Editor's Note: Sure we saw a lot more articulation
on 2001’s POTJ FX-7 and 2008’s
TLC FX-6
(BD 28), but all that was housed in
the multiple—and very similar—limbs.) IG-88’s
various points of articulation are housed in
all unique areas on the body which requires
various tooling and precise engineering. Coming
with the same guns as the 1980 vintage figure,
IG-88 (Bounty Hunter) can hold these weapons
fairly well—for the most part. Interestingly,
the droid comes with a bladed weapon/bandolier
on his back which wasn’t seen on the
original vintage figure, or any modern version
to date. It really can’t hold any weapons,
but it certainly looks exquisite. His ammunition
bandolier is loaded with cool grenades and
the figure as a whole is quite a site to behold.
There are some really magnificent details like
the hoses on this bounty hunter’s legs
are just brilliant. And while it may be easy
to cast something in pretty much a solid color,
Hasbro effortlessly matched the droid perfectly
to its appearance in Episode V from the rusty orange wash, to the brighter silver accents. IG-88’s
head has two points of articulation, one in
the middle of the head and one at the base
of the neck.Plus, IG-88 has such a perfect and
balanced stature and it is truly just the icing
on the cake for this figure. You won’t
experience any awkward leans or bizarre stances.
It just doesn’t disappoint in any way!

With
the release of the 2007 VTSC Bossk and IG-88
figures, we now have very good updates to all
six bounty hunters from the unforgettable scene. (Editor’s
Note: A new Dengar was released in August
2010 as part of the very exciting The Vintage
Collection.) Of course some are
a lot better than others, but all have been
significantly upgraded from that “awful” 2006
TSC box set entitled The
Hunt For The Millennium Falcon Bounty Hunter
Pack. We sometimes feel many of
us take for granted far indeed the line has
come and do not fully appreciate the small
masterpieces Hasbro creates for us in the basic
figure line. It is quite unbelievable how awesome
IG-88 is and if you don’t have this figure
in your collection yet, you are sorely missing
out on a figure that eclipses the quality of
some of the more popular figures in the line.
But for those of you that already have this
gem in your collections, you know what we are
talking about here. Releasing figures in the “vintage” packaging
certainly seems to ensure collectors that only
the best quality is put forth in the figures
contained within them. And of course this is
the way it should be. If you haven’t
had the fortune of adding the VTSC IG-88 (Bounty
Hunter) to your collection yet, you are sorely
missing out on one of the finest figures ever
from Hasbro. This is not an exaggeration and
it is not a plug for Hasbro. It is advice that
you should heed because without this figure
in your collection, your collection incomplete.